William Ian Lawther (20 October 1939 – 25 April 2010) was a Northern Irish footballer who played for Sunderland and five other clubs in the English Football League. He also played four internationals for Northern Ireland.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Ian Lawther[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 25 April 2010 (aged 70)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Oxford, England[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1958 | Crusaders | ? | (5) |
| 1958–1961 | Sunderland | 75 | (41) |
| 1961–1963 | Blackburn Rovers | 59 | (21) |
| 1963–1964 | Scunthorpe United | 60 | (22) |
| 1964–1968 | Brentford | 139 | (43) |
| 1968–1971 | Halifax Town | 101 | (23) |
| 1971–1976 | Stockport County | 164 | (29) |
| 1976–? | Bangor City | ? | (?) |
| International career | |||
| 1960–1962 | Northern Ireland | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editLawther started his footballing career in his native Northern Ireland with Crusaders[3] before moving to England, with Sunderland in 1958.[4] A fine header of the ball, with an excellent instinct for finding space, he made his debut for Sunderland on 31 August 1959 against Aston Villa in a 3–0 at Villa Park.[5] Between 1959 and 1961, he scored 41 goals in only 75 league appearances for Sunderland, a remarkable rate which, given the overall calibre of the players around him, has gone largely unrecognised. The arrival of Brian Clough saw him squeezed out of contention, consequently a marvellous opportunity to combine his considerable abilities with Clough's was very unwisely overlooked.[6] He then signed for Blackburn Rovers for £18,000 in 1961 making 59 appearances, and scoring 21 goals in his time there.[4]
He then moved to Scunthorpe United in 1963 for £12,000 and scored 22 goals for the Lincolnshire-based club in 60 league appearances.[4] Following this, he joined Brentford for £17,000 in November 1964 and went on to make 152 appearances, scoring 44 goals for the club.[7] Halifax Town was his next club as he signed for £3,000 in 1968, and he played for two seasons scoring 23 goals in 101 league appearances.[4] The club he served longest was Stockport County, but he was far less productive at his time there than with other clubs, scoring 29 goals in 164 appearances.[8] He finished up his playing career in Bangor City before retiring.[4]
International career
editHe won his first international cap for Northern Ireland on 6 April 1960 against Wales in a 3–2 defeat.[4] He won three further caps for his country, making a total of four appearances without scoring a goal.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ian Lawther". Barry Hugman's Footballers.
- ^ Sky Sports News notice of death 26/4/2010
- ^ Irish Association Football Guide 1958-59, 36th Issue, Pg. 63
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ian Lawther". Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ "Aston Villa 3-0 Sunderland". The Stat Cat. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ "Ian Lawther". The Stat Cat. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | FORMER BEE DIES". world.brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ Football League Career Stats at Neil Brown